You have been commissioned to stop ISIS and bring stability to Iraq & Syria (Iran, CNN)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well, to be fair, at this point in time, We're all they got holding the country together.
Right now the strategy is to "Hold in place".
The president, as Commander in Chief, has positioned military assets on land, sea and air over the territory in contention and as stated, is in a "Hold in Place" tactic. Any large assaults ISIS makes can be broken up by those assets.
He is waiting for Congress to return so he can present the issues to the American people. Congress needs to first determine what the goal of American action in Iraq and Syria will be.
What do we want to achieve?
What is the end game?
How would one define success?
Once we as a nation have consensus on these questions, we can develop a strategy for achieving those goals but first we need to define them. That is what the president meant when he said "We have no set strategy at this point".
There is no absence of men willing to pick up an AK and fight in the middle east. We do not need to send large divisions of American troops to occupy the country and act as targets for our enemies.
We will never completely eradicate ISIS, no more than we eradicated the Taliban after fighting them toe to toe since 2002.
We can, however contain them and minimize their threat to us and other nations, but that will not be an easy prospect.
Once we define our end goal, our strategy should be to use our military assets and superior technology to
Advise, Support, Coordinate, Supply and Provide Intelligence.
One thing we absolutely don't want to do is Occupy. We should have learned that lesson by now. There will never be a lack of fighters in the ME that are willing to fight and die. We do not need to send large quantities of Americans to do that part of the fight.
Your OP stated "Stop ISIS". Could you define your understanding of "Stop ISIS"? Does stopping them mean wiping every one of them off the face of the earth? does stopping them mean running them to ground in Iraq? does stopping them mean a strong incursion in syria? what does "Stopping them" mean? Please define your understanding of the meaning "Stopping them" as it applies to the situation.
From my perspective, it appears the players involved are doing a good job of redefining their own borders.
I also disagree that it's either that or occupy. Depending on the "Goal" the American people choose, there are lots's of alternative options on the table as to how to proceed.
Our biggest challenge is defining the "Goal" that America wants to pursue. As a nation, we can do anything we choose if we have a clear understanding of what we want to achieve. Our president is very smart to put the ball in Congress's court because any "Goal" he would unilaterally choose will be opposed by his opponents for political reasons and would run counter to the interests of the nation. Once Congress and the American people pick a "Goal", then the Commander and Chief can implement the necessary military options.
In all successful military operations the process is as follows
Define the goal
From the stated goal, develop a strategy
With a clear strategy, the military devises tactics to advance that strategy.
Well, to be fair, at this point in time, We're all they got holding the country together.
Right now the strategy is to "Hold in place".
The president, as Commander in Chief, has positioned military assets on land, sea and air over the territory in contention and as stated, is in a "Hold in Place" tactic. Any large assaults ISIS makes can be broken up by those assets.
He is waiting for Congress to return so he can present the issues to the American people. Congress needs to first determine what the goal of American action in Iraq and Syria will be.
What do we want to achieve?
What is the end game?
How would one define success? Once we as a nation have consensus on these questions, we can develop a strategy for achieving those goals but first we need to define them. That is what the president meant when he said "We have no set strategy at this point".
There is no absence of men willing to pick up an AK and fight in the middle east. We do not need to send large divisions of American troops to occupy the country and act as targets for our enemies.
We will never completely eradicate ISIS, no more than we eradicated the Taliban after fighting them toe to toe since 2002.
We can, however contain them and minimize their threat to us and other nations, but that will not be an easy prospect.
Once we define our end goal, our strategy should be to use our military assets and superior technology to
Advise, Support, Coordinate, Supply and Provide Intelligence.
One thing we absolutely don't want to do is Occupy. We should have learned that lesson by now. There will never be a lack of fighters in the ME that are willing to fight and die. We do not need to send large quantities of Americans to do that part of the fight.
A 'consensus' on what to do ? From Congress ? Surely you jest.
Other than the Kurds, who in the ME is chomping at the bit to confront ISIS.
President Harry Truman knew exactly what to do when he faced a similar problem with Japan. It worked real good.
President Truman did not unilaterally drop an atom bomb on Japan without consulting Congress. You're part of the same individuals who constantly whine about the president doing things without consulting congress. now you want him to ignore the wishes of Congress, who represent the American people and unilaterally act on his own, without a clear goal or direction as to what we should do.
I know you want to turn the whole ME into a glass parking lot but you're only 1 individual. what about the wishes of the other 329,999,999 citizens who feel otherwise? I know of at least 8 individuals, who have posted in this thread alone, who want us to stay out of the ME completely. Their opinion runs completely contrary to your's. Does their opinion count?
A 'consensus' on what to do ? From Congress ? Surely you jest.
Other than the Kurds, who in the ME is chomping at the bit to confront ISIS.
The Iraqi Shiite's for one. Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Russia, a host of others. Lot's of European countries are wetting their pants over ISIS right now.
The Iraqi Shiite's for one. Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Russia, a host of others. Lot's of European countries are wetting their pants over ISIS right now.
If he can put together or be part of an alliance like that, where the U.S. is not expected to be the mainstay of ground troops, credit to him.
The consensus from Congress part I think is pie in the sky.
If he can put together or be part of an alliance like that, where the U.S. is not expected to be the mainstay of ground troops, credit to him.
The consensus from Congress part I think is pie in the sky.
Well, he won't get consensus from Congress. What he will get is a plethora of opinions from Congressmen and women on what he should do about ISIS. That way when he implements a strategy, there will be a sizable portion of congress that quietly support his actions. I can guarantee you that congress will avoid a vote on a solution like the plague. Anyway they vote, they will lose voters in their districts in November, as the voter's opinions run all over the table and cross partisan lines. There are just as many republicans who don't want any involvement in the ME, as there are Democrats who want to kill them all for humanitarian reasons.
As far as a ME and EU coalition, he's traveling this week to drum up support. As stated, we don't need American Boots on the Ground in any occupying capacity. There is an excess of home grown warriors willing to fight and die in the ME already. People say let them do their own dirty work. Well that's exactly what were doing. getting other people to do the actual day to day fighting and dying while we provide support, advice, technology, coordination and resupply. People would be truly shocked and horrified if casualty figures were released tallying up the dead and executed. But they're not Americans so we won't know.
The statement 'We don't have a set strategy yet" was a shocking announcement for any president to make but actually a brilliant move on his part. He's throwing the whole ISIS problem in the lap of congress and using just enough force in Iraq in the interim to keep ISIS from any more advances in Iraq. All the while forcing Congress to provide direction on "how far should we take this thing? How do we deal with Syria? What is the nation's stated goal in this situation?
Only thing I know for sure is that the same individuals who have been constantly whining for the last 2 years about President Obama unilaterally acting without the approval of Congress will be whining about the president not taking unilateral, decisive action immediately, without waiting for congress to come back from their vacation.
The last thing tea party, Boehner and the conservative republican caucus wants is to have the ISIS hot potato thrown into their lap. They want the president to act on his own so they can discredit any move he makes. They have no unified plan as to how to solve the ISIS problem, except to stay as far away from a solution as possible and attack Obama for whatever he does, or doesn't do.
President Truman did not unilaterally drop an atom bomb on Japan without consulting Congress. You're part of the same individuals who constantly whine about the president doing things without consulting congress. now you want him to ignore the wishes of Congress, who represent the American people and unilaterally act on his own, without a clear goal or direction as to what we should do.
I know you want to turn the whole ME into a glass parking lot but you're only 1 individual. what about the wishes of the other 329,999,999 citizens who feel otherwise? I know of at least 8 individuals, who have posted in this thread alone, who want us to stay out of the ME completely. Their opinion runs completely contrary to your's. Does their opinion count?
No,their opinion does not count. I was commissioned to solve the problem.
" You have been commissioned to stop ISIS and bring stability to Iraq & Syria"
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
